
Photos by Nathaniel Chu (Triple Crown Sports)
Lady Griz lose but leave Cancun feeling upbeat
11/24/2017 10:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Montana gave up 30 more points than it did on Thursday, got outrebounded by 11 and allowed a team to go 13 for 26 from 3-point range, but don't try telling Lady Griz coach Shannon Schweyen that she and her team shouldn't feel good about their performance on Friday night.
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"Like I told them in the locker room, I know we lost, but I feel like we won. It was such a better feeling than it was last night," said Schweyen, whose team lost 57-45 to Indiana State on Thursday, then fell 87-68 to No. 20 Marquette on Friday at the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
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"They were eager to take the court after the ugly showing we had yesterday. You get a chance to play a ranked team. Go out there and have some fun, and they enjoyed themselves tonight. They played together and played hard. It was encouraging. Everybody did something good out there."
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It was all Marquette (2-2) in the first half. The Golden Eagles drilled seven 3-pointers and raced out to a 44-24 halftime lead. But it was the second half that will be the takeaway of the tournament for the Lady Griz (0-5).
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Montana shot 53 percent in the third quarter to outscore Marquette, which has among its two losses this season an 88-87 setback at New Mexico and Thursday's 101-99 overtime loss to No. 12 Tennessee, for the period.
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The Lady Griz then scored 25 fourth-quarter points, their highest-scoring period of the season, and shot 41 percent for the game, their best performance of the year.
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"We were due for somebody to start making a few shots. I'm ecstatic that we shot 41 percent. I hope we can continue to keep getting better all the time," said Schweyen.
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"It's just amazing how much better you feel when you start knocking a few shots down. It's contagious, and we all fed off that tonight."
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Marquette, a No. 5 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, entered the game averaging nearly 90 points and had six players scoring 11 or more points per game, so the Golden Eagles were going to be difficult to slow down.
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Montana opted to defend with a zone, which negated some of Marquette's advantages inside, but that allowed the Golden Eagles to get good looks from the perimeter. And they made the Lady Griz pay.
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Natisha Hiedeman, 1 for 10 from the arc in Thursday's loss to Tennessee, went 6 for 9 from three on Friday and scored a game-high 21 points, and Isabelle Spingola hit four off the bench as Marquette scored 39 points on triples.
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"We knew they had good shooters, and I knew they were going to make some threes. I kept reminding myself that they hung (47) on Tennessee last night in the first half, so I didn't want to get discouraged," said Schweyen. "It's just one of those things. You have to hope they're not making those.
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"As far as the interior stuff, we battled hard in there. I thought the zone was really effective."
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Whether the final 20 minutes leads to anything won't be known until next week, when Montana hosts the Lady Griz Classic on Friday and Saturday, but for one half on Friday Montana was feeling it.
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McKenzie Johnston and Madi Schoening both finished with 11 points, and Hailey Nicholson added 10 off the bench, matching her point total from the team's first four games.
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"All of a sudden the redhead came out in her," said Schweyen. "We need her to be giving us stuff if we're going to have a chance to be in ball games."
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Sparked by three quick baskets by Sierra Anderson, Montana hit four of its first six shots coming out of the halftime break. The Lady Griz were never going to close the 20-point halftime gap, but they shot 48.6 percent in the second half and outscored a high-powered offense.
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That's why a 19-point loss can still feel like a win, especially for a team that had yet to shoot 40 percent in a game this season.
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Johnston hit a pair of second-half 3-pointers and went 3 for 6 from the arc overall, a breakout for a player who was 2 for 11 entering the game.
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She also had four assists and just three turnovers while facing 39 minutes of pressure from Marquette.
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"She had a heck of a ball game and took good care of the ball," said Schweyen. "She was feeling it a little bit. She was shooting those threes and starting to run back before they were even near the rim.
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"It's nice to see that happen for her. She worked so hard in the offseason. I'm happy to see her get rewarded."
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Sixteen would be as close as Montana would get in the second half. Marquette would build its lead to 29 midway through the fourth quarter, 80-51, but Stiles answered with her first collegiate 3-pointer, and Nicholson and Anderson followed with baskets as well, part of a 7-0 run.
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In the big picture, it didn't do much, since the Golden Eagles still led by 22, but for Montana, it was a small win within the game.
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"We were keeping track of five-minute games, and we won the second half. It's encouraging when you look at it in increments like that," said Schweyen.
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All 10 players scored for Montana, with Jace Henderson finishing with six points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals to earn all-tournament honors.
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Oral Roberts, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State will travel to Missoula next week for the Lady Griz Classic. Montana will face Fullerton on Friday at 7 p.m., Long Beach State at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
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"Like I told them in the locker room, I know we lost, but I feel like we won. It was such a better feeling than it was last night," said Schweyen, whose team lost 57-45 to Indiana State on Thursday, then fell 87-68 to No. 20 Marquette on Friday at the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
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"They were eager to take the court after the ugly showing we had yesterday. You get a chance to play a ranked team. Go out there and have some fun, and they enjoyed themselves tonight. They played together and played hard. It was encouraging. Everybody did something good out there."
Â
It was all Marquette (2-2) in the first half. The Golden Eagles drilled seven 3-pointers and raced out to a 44-24 halftime lead. But it was the second half that will be the takeaway of the tournament for the Lady Griz (0-5).
Â
Montana shot 53 percent in the third quarter to outscore Marquette, which has among its two losses this season an 88-87 setback at New Mexico and Thursday's 101-99 overtime loss to No. 12 Tennessee, for the period.
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The Lady Griz then scored 25 fourth-quarter points, their highest-scoring period of the season, and shot 41 percent for the game, their best performance of the year.
Â
"We were due for somebody to start making a few shots. I'm ecstatic that we shot 41 percent. I hope we can continue to keep getting better all the time," said Schweyen.
Â
"It's just amazing how much better you feel when you start knocking a few shots down. It's contagious, and we all fed off that tonight."
Â
Marquette, a No. 5 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, entered the game averaging nearly 90 points and had six players scoring 11 or more points per game, so the Golden Eagles were going to be difficult to slow down.
Â
Montana opted to defend with a zone, which negated some of Marquette's advantages inside, but that allowed the Golden Eagles to get good looks from the perimeter. And they made the Lady Griz pay.
Â
Natisha Hiedeman, 1 for 10 from the arc in Thursday's loss to Tennessee, went 6 for 9 from three on Friday and scored a game-high 21 points, and Isabelle Spingola hit four off the bench as Marquette scored 39 points on triples.
Â
"We knew they had good shooters, and I knew they were going to make some threes. I kept reminding myself that they hung (47) on Tennessee last night in the first half, so I didn't want to get discouraged," said Schweyen. "It's just one of those things. You have to hope they're not making those.
Â
"As far as the interior stuff, we battled hard in there. I thought the zone was really effective."
Â
Whether the final 20 minutes leads to anything won't be known until next week, when Montana hosts the Lady Griz Classic on Friday and Saturday, but for one half on Friday Montana was feeling it.
Â
McKenzie Johnston and Madi Schoening both finished with 11 points, and Hailey Nicholson added 10 off the bench, matching her point total from the team's first four games.
Â
"All of a sudden the redhead came out in her," said Schweyen. "We need her to be giving us stuff if we're going to have a chance to be in ball games."
Â
Sparked by three quick baskets by Sierra Anderson, Montana hit four of its first six shots coming out of the halftime break. The Lady Griz were never going to close the 20-point halftime gap, but they shot 48.6 percent in the second half and outscored a high-powered offense.
Â
That's why a 19-point loss can still feel like a win, especially for a team that had yet to shoot 40 percent in a game this season.
Â
Johnston hit a pair of second-half 3-pointers and went 3 for 6 from the arc overall, a breakout for a player who was 2 for 11 entering the game.
Â
She also had four assists and just three turnovers while facing 39 minutes of pressure from Marquette.
Â
"She had a heck of a ball game and took good care of the ball," said Schweyen. "She was feeling it a little bit. She was shooting those threes and starting to run back before they were even near the rim.
Â
"It's nice to see that happen for her. She worked so hard in the offseason. I'm happy to see her get rewarded."
Â
Sixteen would be as close as Montana would get in the second half. Marquette would build its lead to 29 midway through the fourth quarter, 80-51, but Stiles answered with her first collegiate 3-pointer, and Nicholson and Anderson followed with baskets as well, part of a 7-0 run.
Â
In the big picture, it didn't do much, since the Golden Eagles still led by 22, but for Montana, it was a small win within the game.
Â
"We were keeping track of five-minute games, and we won the second half. It's encouraging when you look at it in increments like that," said Schweyen.
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All 10 players scored for Montana, with Jace Henderson finishing with six points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals to earn all-tournament honors.
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Oral Roberts, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State will travel to Missoula next week for the Lady Griz Classic. Montana will face Fullerton on Friday at 7 p.m., Long Beach State at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Team Stats
MAR
UM
FG%
.493
.413
3FG%
.500
.278
FT%
.462
.524
RB
43
32
TO
15
12
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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Monday, October 20
UM vs SHU Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, October 19
Griz Soccer vs. Idaho State Postgame Report - 10/12/25
Wednesday, October 15
Griz Soccer vs. Weber State Postgame Report - 10/9/25
Wednesday, October 15